How to use civilians?

[consectari]

Lots of really interesting ideas to work with. 

In a more open playing area, wouldn't there be an issue with civilians just scattering away from combat and quickly becoming a non-factor?

[The_Beast]

After last night's emails our next Tomorrow's War scenario will have three players on one side, two on the other. Therefore we are giving each player 5 civilians that cannot be primary targets, but that will compete to scrounge from the board, loot the dead, and grab supplies. A game within a game if you will, allowing the player with the most scrounged goods on the winning side combat wise to be the overall winner.

Could be distracting to a lot of 'kill, kill, kill', but I'm thinking sheer brilliance. 

Lots of really interesting ideas to work with. 

In a more open playing area, wouldn't there be an issue with civilians just scattering away from combat and quickly becoming a non-factor?

Absolutely, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Even better, start without civvies, and have the clueless show up late (out of side doors or whatever) to the party.

Doug

[zorg]

In a more open playing area, wouldn't there be an issue with civilians just scattering away from combat and quickly becoming a non-factor?

I imagine the civilians could also panic, and do Stupid Things (tm). You could do some sort of table, so that civilians will freeze, run around in circles, or even toward shooters (presumably shouting "Don't shoot")... If the game features overwatch fire or whatever you call it, this might even trigger reflexive fire (it could even trigger reflexive pounce attacks from Xenomorphs).

[Commander Vyper]

There was a post not long ago about the availablility of sci-fi or alien civilians.  

It got me thinking, in what ways could unarmed civilians be intergrated into a wargame.

Anyone have any thoughs?  Have a game with good civilian rules?


BTW, the recent Dreadball Xtreme kickstarter should produce a lot of unarmed aliens.

Bullet magnets and meat shields.....

Seriously though. Civilians make for interesting scenarios over and above the usual hostage/collateral damage angle.  How about losing your civi tech support guy that then downgrades your armour rating for the game. Civilians spots you skulking in the shadows so alerts the enemy to you presence.  Weapons hot? = mass panic random moves. Angry mobs. Civil riots.

Always wanted to do a matrix styled descarte inspired future so h o w about civilians as 'sleeper cells' potential agents etc....all sorts of ideas.

Good luck

[maxxon]

Quite frankly I don't think a game set in an urban environment (barring maybe total warzones) looks right without civilians present.

You can use them simply to dress up the table, but if you want to go the extra mile they make fabulously irritating mobile LOS-blockers as they run around in panic mode after the shooting starts.

[Antenociti]

We used them as mobile objectives in Infinity.

They moved at end of both players turn, random direction dice and movement.

Player needed to get two civvies from numbers he pulled from a bag - but you dont know what civy ahd what number assigned to it (changed each game).

You might end up needing same civvies as opponent or different...and you might get them both at first attempt, or have to go through all 6 to find the two you needed.

(nd, no you couldnt kill them unless they were syncrhonised with your opponent..but even then remember that YOU might need them!)

it worked very well.

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

In Tomorrow's War and the modern version (can't recall the name) some forces have rules of engagement that restrict their fire if civilians are in the way, but not so their foes.

[Von Trinkenessen]

I've used them for years to complicate scenarios, provoke moral judgements and situations.
Also refugees getting in the way (roads) and to be protected and evacuated.
They work as good spoilers for Special forces missions.
In our Salute 2012 game : Beyond the Tanhausser Gate; we had alien civilians needing to be evacuated by alien special forces from an agricultural research station as the humans invaded.
Got an absolute corker for one of our participation games this year: will the veteran special forces team concentrate on evacuating "the package" or become embroiled in a firefight to protect the women and children from the cybernetic enemy forces.

Its all about making the gamers have to think outside the box and not just go through the motions.

Guy

[Dentatus]

as bullet shields, as objectives, as random ambulatory move/shoot hindrances, as food.

[carlos13th]

I plan on using them mostly as table dressing and annoying obstacles. Maybe they could move in one of several directions away from any fighting dependant on a dice roll possibly meaning they get in the way of shooting.